


illuminate

by Atena



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 11:38:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11508645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atena/pseuds/Atena
Summary: Written for Mystic Messenger's First Anniversary | 2,829 WordsShe was always invisible, always watching, always forgotten, yet never saying a single word.In flights of fancy, MC didn't have to be a ghost any longer.Crossposted onto MMA





	illuminate

She was always invisible, always watching, always forgotten, yet never saying a single word.

In flights of fancy, MC didn't have to be a ghost any longer.

Oh, she was used to it, but sometimes she just wanted to pretend she was in a better world without having to compare to others. MC wanted to be loved for who she was and what she did.

She had searched through the various dating game apps available, from Voltage to free-to-play options, but very few truly had ever captivated her interest. It needed to be something unique - something which could grasp hold of her heart and not dare put her down until the bitter end, leaving her breathless.

Perhaps it was a little immature of her to indulge in them, but obscured behind thick bangs, MC's gaze trailed after her sister enviously as she saw the younger girl off to her internship.

The brunette had no job and barely any friends at school, at least ones who shared her hobbies or interests. What were her prospects, if she even had any? At the same time, she began to question why would anyone want her if they could have one of the bottomless pool of aces surrounding her. It was times like these when the young woman turned to simulations of a better, more interesting life.

There was an abundance of Japanese games, but it none of them had plots with a lasting impact. Then, she came across one she barely knew. It was made by Cheritz. She recognized their name. What she didn't expect was they were so close to home.

On a moonless night, MC began playing Mystic Messenger. She was going in mostly blind, except for the fact that the Messenger would bear a likeness to other social media. Her phone screen was at full brightness, and her palms were sweaty. Whether it was from her excitement or overheating of the phone, the young girl paid no mind.

And then, she let herself fall into the tempo by which the RFA waltzed.

The first night quickly burned itself in her memory. MC played along with the nice stranger who told her to go to a random apartment complex before learning soon after that she wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place. More notably, for the first time in forever, all eyes were on her, but she had no answers to the questions which were posed to her in a flurry of emotions.

Although, MC was too surprised to even care when she learned of the precarious nature of her situation. At some point, she had chatted with 707 about the ever eminent presence of Rika. That woman was the original party organizer, and now, due to this incident, MC would have to serve as her understudy, if not as the therapist of the friends the blonde had left behind.

Surprisingly, she found herself more attached than expected to the characters. Only two routes really caught her attention, and MC managed to get through all the routes. Once, she was able to fork over some money for the Valentine's Day DLC, but, afterward, she lacked direction, moving onward and taking a break for a year.

It was tedious living this life. Yet, with the power of resets, it was, in fact, possible for the brunette to take a breather, but she was not certain if it were to last.

A familiar pang struck her heart, and she could no longer deny the inscrutable nostalgia digging into her bosom. For some vague reason, MC came back to sate her aimless curiosity, and now, they had released a brand new event.

**Demystifying Feast**

_See what it is like to attend_ an RFA _party before you became a member!_

Okay, she thought to herself, swallowing. It didn't cost any money, but it did require a save file on the eleventh day, which MC so conveniently happened to have due to where she had left off in her last play through of the game.

Quickly, she opened it up and entered a dazzling place of wonder. As far as she could recall, MC noted that this wasn't actually one year and a half ago. This could only be a completely different timeline, she noted, seeing Saeyoung guide his reclusive brother around the party.

* * *

Her suspicions were only confirmed when a bright and mellow soprano voice called out to her.

"Oh, welcome to the RFA's third party. Please make yourself comfortable." The blonde approached her with a radiant smile; it was almost blinding.

"My name is Rika. Would you like to join us at our table? I understand that the traffic made you very late so unfortunately, not many seats are left."

MC could only not, unsure what to think. Quickly, she was seated in between Saeran and V, the latter of the two doing his best to soothe her nerves with a discussion about his newest project involving Zen's newest musical before excusing himself to auction off his photographs.

She then was left to socialize with one very antisocial Choi. He was cute, but every time they caught each other's eyes, he brushed up against the cushioning of his chair and glanced her way furtively. How skittish he was! MC didn't blame him.

She never was that good with people either. It was much easier interacting with others online. When sending emails, the party organizer could take her sweet time polishing and refining every facet of her thoughts. There was a safety net, though she was hesitant to give out personal details unless asked.

However, it didn't take long for MC to deduce that interaction would be a rather exhaustive effort.

"I think I'm going to go now. I hear they have an ice cream bar. I won't have any yet, but I am curious as to what flavors they offer," she announced.

To her surprise, sharp gold eyes pinned her down with an intensity that rivaled that of a supernova. But MC didn't back down yet, instead letting out a curt snort. "You want to come with me?"

He didn't answer her, but to be frank, she didn't put in the effort to seek one with her eyes. MC wasn't getting any younger, so it only made sense if she headed over there right away. Certainly, she was in no rush, yet there was an attentive presence behind her seeking out their shared destination.

By the time she reached the ice cream bar, MC was too lost in her thoughts to entertain herself with the normally tempting and decadent gelato. Feeling that agitation stirring in her core again, she headed left with no real purpose, only to distract herself. Saeran tilted his head in confusion, and for the first time since they had been introduced, she smiled at him genuinely. He must have been caught off-guard too, she deduced. The timid man's face betrayed no emotion, but a tad bit of warmth escaped his voice through a boyish crack. Or was that meant to be a whisper?

"You know, the mint chocolate chip ice cream's not half-bad."

MC obliged to take his advice. Stealing one last glimpse at the brooding boy, she finished her dish without regrets.

* * *

Then, she moved on to try her hand at the delicacy that truly caught her interest: the winery. After one glass of Grüner Veltliner, she decided that she had made the sweetest mistake in her entire life - equivalent to doubling the sugar calorie count in one bottle of Coca Cola.

Seeing Jumin on his lonesome made MC's heart quiver. Carefully, she shuffled over into the seat adjacent to him and looked over him.

He looked so tired, almost like he carried the whole sky on his shoulders. The raven haired male was gazing at his reflection on his nearly finished wine glass, but it wasn't for something like the meticulous, amorous analysis the albino actor found when preening himself. Sighing, Jumin then picked his glass up gingerly and finished it before looking at her. They shared a brief moment of silence, and MC felt like she could understand him a little bit better.

They were sharing a drink called loneliness. It was more bitter than the sharpest tonics, but the two of them knew it was better than drinking alone.

Her gaze didn't stray away as he poured himself a second glass. Silently, she raised a toast for him, the RFA, the party, and all the charities that would (hopefully) get a pretty penny in their accounts. Jaehee would make sure of it, MC reassured herself, as she heard the wine glasses clink. In the bright light, blood red and pale gold swished around in their respective cups. Soon,the former was consumed within seconds, despite the fact that his guest hadn't even finished hers yet.

Was Jumin even more unfortunate in this timeline? MC pondered. He was too tired to register his typical worries about a woman catching him in a moment of weakness. She understood it all though. He was being used his whole life thanks to the lot Fate had dealt to him. Although the correlation rested between distinctly stratified aspects, the two could relate to each other, but they could never have a normal relationship of any sort. But neither of them wanted such a thing to begin; they were content temporarily despite how stressed they were.

The first day of school was a month away, but already it loomed large over her head. The greatest part of University was the intellectual connection between everyone in the institution, but the ugly spot was the greed of those who were willing to do anything to get ahead.

Soon, MC's pessimism reached out its tendrils to her coyly, but she had enough of the cliques, the challenges, the drama, the competition, and the inescapable feeling of inferiority.

Seeing Jumin Han besides her reminded MC of that as he stood up and gave her a deliberate gaze. "The party's almost over. I'm going to look for Assistant Kang now."

"Good luck finding her. Even though I couldn't find her myself, I'm sure wherever she is, it's with Zen."

"Really now?" It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway.

"Yes."

"Then, I see that the optimal choice would be to go home for now. My poor Elizabeth the Third must have missed me so much, but I wouldn't miss this party even if I could."

Why? She already knew. MC met his gaze warmly and waved goodbye. "Have a safe ride home and a good night's rest, Jumin."

He smiled subtly. "Thank you. You too." 

* * *

 Out of curiosity, she headed to the auction room to see the results of the RFA's fundraising.

Only one photograph was left at the end of the night. No one seemed to want it, as it centered around the stars of Cygnus. The shot bore it at an angle, and from the corner of her eye, MC could spot Deneb twinkling at her.

Her breath hitched.

Soon her gaze was met by two turquoise orbs that danced in amusement. "Are you enjoying the party, miss...?"

Saving Jihyun Kim from embarrassment, she gave him her name and smiled uneasily.

"Ah, what a lovely name! It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for attending our party. What brings you here?"

The young lady took some time to think about her response. "I wanted to meet some old friends. Although, I'm certain they wouldn't recognize me now," she said softly with a sad smile.

After all, she was responsible for starting up this new timeline.

But for what it was, MC didn't regret it.

"I see," replied V cautiously before strategically changing gears. "Well, you can always make new ones here." Alongside his bashful smile, his gentle baritone made a deadly duet.

"You're right." She fell silent for a short while. "I really like your photograph over there," the young girl blurted out inelegantly. Aghast, she wanted to cover her mouth with her hands. but she could not.

V only chuckled. "What do you like about it?"

"Well, it seems to be a rather ethereal piece — you have scrupulous attention to detail but the lighting and edit you place over it makes it even more mysterious and full of deep, simmering emotion."

"What kind?"

"I don't know. It seems to be like it could vary from day to day, but ultimately, no matter how dark the skies are, the stars will shine through. That's what it says to me. And there are clouds there too, showing that the stars will always be there regardless of the weather."

"That's kind of corny, isn't it?"

She shot him a sharp look. "V, I'm not Shakespeare, but what I want to say is that it means a lot to me because for one, it's my favorite constellation. Secondly, it brings me hope. The angle you took it at reminds me that all the smaller, lesser stars are important too, despite how vast the universe is."

"Well, of course. There will always be people who are better than us and people worse than us, but it only matters that we try to shine as ourselves." Serenely, he beamed at the younger girl as happiness quietly glowed all over him. "I'm glad it means something to you like that. You know, since I don't see any other takers for it, I might as well give you it."

"Are you serious?" she stuttered. "Are you sure? Why?"

"Yes, yes, and yes."

"Those aren't even actual answers!" MC protested, flabbergasted and blushing a light pink as he waved over a gallery curator and had them package the piece of artwork in its own little folder, safely secured in a sturdy bag.

"I liked your answer. I don't particularly need a reason though." She couldn't really tell if he was joking or not. His eyes seemed sincere, but his tone was mirthful.

"Well, then—" MC swallowed thickly while taking the bag into her hands, "—I suppose I can allow it since you are my ever-so-gracious host."

He laughed softly. "And you are a lovely guest." Their eyes met, and the girl's heart swelled up with warmth.

"Thank you. For everything, I mean," she added quickly. "It's getting late though. But may you please excuse me? My place is not exactly close, and I should probably use the restrooms before heading home."

"Of course. I understand." Politely, the teal haired male guided her over to the ladies' restroom. She didn't intend to take long, but for a bit, she mused over their short exchange.

As MC headed out of the bathroom, she accidentally bumped into a full head of luscious, lemony blonde curls. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," Rika neutrally met her anxious counterpart's voice, but she wasn't looking at MC. She was, however, stealing a glance of the parcel the other girl had been carrying around.

Before she knew it, MC was met with a piercing stare directly in her eyes. It was not as heated as Saeran's, but Rika's pupils had dilated as if she were searching for something.

"Hm," she murmured to herself when she thought MC wasn't listening. "It's really no problem." Relieved, the brunette noted that the blonde's gaze had been directed towards the art gallery and auction room.

Rika was walking, but her footsteps definitely were light and graceful. It was not too long before she disappeared out of sight for good, but once she looked back, and it sent MC and her bones rattling.

That was the first time she had seen green-eyed jealousy rear its head towards her.

The brunette wasn't sure what to think, but she was thoroughly convinced to leave the premises before it got too late.

* * *

 She couldn't bring herself to look at the younger boy.

Yoosung Kim was a good person. Of course, she wanted to smile at him, to talk to him, and cheer him on, but after everything she saw, MC couldn't help but distance herself from the college student. With Rika around, MC would most likely be compared to the RFA founder even _more_ , judging by how he still was all moony-eyed over her. The guilt of not talking to him would stew in her always and deeply, but what could she do now? Besides, she could not deny that it was necessary.

Suddenly, an idea that she actually did not expect came true. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't too late. Before, she left, MC made time to inquire the following question:

"You know, I would really love to go to one of your parties again. Is there any way I can help with the next one?"

Patiently, she waited for the redhead facing away from her to address the inquiry.

"Oh, um, by the way, Saeyoung," his former lover's strained voice crooned, affectionate yet conflicted as a twinge of remorse slowly began to make itself apparent. "Long time no see. What's up?"


End file.
